Frost
by Addict to Fanfics
Summary: They thought he never knew. They thought his form was perfectly hidden. The simple winter frost showed him the truth. Pre-movie.


_AN: Very sorry for the wait between postings. I am still working on the Sherlock pieces for anyone interested in them. Lestrade's to add to The Least is about 550w but there's probably another 2/3 hundred if it works out how I want it. Anderson's is in progress but only on paper so I haven't a clue how long it is and while I am working on a piece with Sally it isn't a post-RF piece but a pre-series piece so it'll be up separately when finished._

_In the meantime Frost has been waiting for posting for the past, ah, several months? This was done back in April I will admit and my friend has waited somewhat patiently for it (if only because they got to preview almost all of it three months back) but has recently asked that I do actually get it posted and I said I'd pos__t come__ September but I'll be busy for the next couple weeks so..._

_Prompt: Was on the phone and asked a friend their current favorite word and was told, Frost. Should I mention an old name of theirs is Loki? This story came out of that word and name.  
__Enjoy Jay Feathers, but give me a little more to work with next time, hmm?_

* * *

Once, long ago, a child born of Others' blood was found abandoned. The boy, a young babe recently born, was pitied for this cruel action against him and was brought into Odin's house and taken as his own; his second son to be companion to his young firstborn. The child was given the title Loki Odin's son and through his younger years he did not doubt that he was loved.

The seasons came and went and so the years passed and the child grew. From babe in his mother's arms to toddler at her heels to child who roamed freely to explore, yet always did he return to cheerfully tell of new discoveries. For as he knew he was loved, he loved those who were called family also. His young mind did never question this.

As the child grew though he came to be aware that despite being Odin's son not all who came to Odin's halls viewed him with the warmth his family did give freely. There were a select number whose voices were merely cool when directed towards him as if his existence was to be ignored and others whose tongues lashed frigidly against him if he should speak to them outside his parent's presence. He learnt quickly that to be invisible in their company was to spare himself there ire. For him, this was the start of it all.

,.,.,

When he had realized the disdain some of Odin's visitors displayed for him he had sought for the reason behind their treatment of him. First he had thought it was merely that he was the second son and so not worthy of there attentions but discrete observations proved this untrue as others in the place of second son earned no such disregard from those who spurned him. So such an idea was disregarded and another was sought to explain their demeanor. He wondered if perhaps he'd done something in the past he'd not remembered that still caused their enmity toward him but nothing could he find in his memories to cause such distain. Though he remembered nothing it could not be proven and the doubt lingered in his mind. Still though it could be something else and he hoped that was the case.

He thought then that perhaps young as he was he had simply not proven himself to be worthy of their praise yet. Too young for combat he threw himself into his studies, that his display of knowledge and skill in academics might show his potential. Their treatment of him did not change. Now though from those who treated him as such he heard whispers in corners of how the child's _eloquence_ was unnatural. That might the boy-monster be trying to replace their Asgardian prince? He kept his studies private upon hearing them and spoke only of what his tutors taught. He used his personal knowledge for harmless tricks; the childish pastime diverted their focus. The whispers died down but had left him with only more questions. Why had they spoken of him as a monster and was he not Asgardian also?

_He frequently wandered silently through the halls of his home. It was late in the evening and though little light was available it did not hinder him._ This was one of the first things he'd noticed when he'd decided to turn his observations inward and it served him well. His vision was as sharp as any Asgardian in the day but in the night his vision was hardly hampered compared to the other children. While he had learned previously to not stand out as better than the others and to keep this observation to himself, he had found this talent to be of great use in his continuing search for answers. After all traveling in the shadows silently was much easier for one who could see while within them.

His advanced maturity and excellent night vision were not definitive proof that he was not Asgardian though. Young though he was he had also found out, to his immense pleasure, that he required less rest than his brother Thor and the twilight hours between being put to bed and having his mother check on him before retiring left him with time to explore freely. Often he found himself within the shadows of the great hall during feasts listening enraptured as the warriors enjoyed their ale and told stories of past battles to the younger generations. Listening to these tales gave him his next clues inadvertently. A fair number of these tales spoke of battles in other lands whose very environments were against them. Of races who biologically differed from those of Asgard. Of the signs used to determine which race one was with if they were disguised.

**He thought long on the differences he had heard of and written down. The first tests were negative ones. That is to say tests to determine which races he _could not_ be a member of. The most apparent physical differences were crossed out of his records and the races they suggested were dismissed. Clearly he was of humanoid design. He bore no 'extra' limbs or sensory organs compared to his brother so a handful of choices were put aside. The internal differences were harder to determine. There were no common foods he had been found to be allergic to so one more race was eliminated. ***He was also fairly sure he had only one heart which eliminated another race. Without knowing more about his internal anatomy though there were simply too many races that could not be discounted as possible.

It was after this the positive tests came to determine which races he _could_ be from; though the result could hardly be construed as positive. Many of the tests spoken of required an adults form, knowledge or skill. It was disheartening to find that while there were many other tests a number of them also required a second participant. This was his search for the truth and it would hardly do to involve another if he _truly _was not of Asgard. This left him with a handful of the simplest tests that he could perform on his own.

The first several were simple enough to check discreetly over the course of a few weeks and produced no results eliminating the races they represented. A number of the others required materials to enact or specific times of the year and he set about gathering what items he could of those spoken of by the warriors. He would simply have to bide his time till the specified times of the year rolled around.

For all his discreet efforts in the end it was one of the simplest things that gave away that he was indeed of another race. A children's game he'd seen some of the others play on dreary winter evenings. To find a window frosted over in winter and use the heat of one's fingers to melt messages and pictures into the frost, distorting the frost's crystal like appearance to that of smooth ice. A way to leave there mark on the world, at least for a time.

Children are always more perceptive than adults give them credit for. They'd long ago noticed that despite his status as a prince he was not in favour with their parents causing them to emulate the actions and discreetly avoid him when possible. This for once was a boon to him. Where normally a child would 'draw' with friends he'd found himself alone when childish impulse took over and he wished to leave his mark as the others did. This simple act of pleasure was all that was needed to confirm both his hopes and his fears. It was nothing he had done but there was nothing he could do. It was simply what he was and that could not be altered.

,.,.,

Loki wandered without destination through back corridors of his home enjoying the peace he found there. Empty hallways meant there was no one to keep up pretenses for. This corridor in particular though was his favourite. It was where he first learned that the pretense was necessary. It was lined with translucent, coloured glass windows from one end to the other. It was here he'd tried to leave his mark so many years ago.

He reached his hand toward the nearest window, a vibrant almost forest green pane, and laid his palm upon the glass to leave his own mark. The one he'd devised upon finding this place to be himself. His hand began to gain a blue tint radiating up from the cold glass toward his wrist. From his hand's presence instead of heat, frost radiated across the expanse of the window, a raven's form in flight taking shape to show he'd been there. When the weak morning sun came it would melt leaving nothing to show that the corridor had ever been occupied by anyone. His was a life that could only be lived in the shadows of night. For now he was content that it be so.

* * *

Well the ending was kinda meh but I wasn't really sure how far I wanted to take it. It's not like I had some pile of story notes when I started. Just 'Frost' and 'Loki' to work with. I think around 1500words of story is pretty good...

**I haven't a clue as to the biological differences between the races, other than those lovely pigmentation differences of his which are hidden under the illusion. He was kind of a runt so the size difference was negligible so that's out too.  
***_Honestly_ that wasn't supposed to be a doctor who reference. It didn't register until after I'd typed it that in one commercial for the show he mentioned he had more than one heart. I guess I've simply seen the commercial too many times because I didn't get into the show as a series really just enjoyed the occasional episode.

031513, 042713-10:15:56 PM


End file.
